E-Professional Development and Rural Teachers: Finding the Blend by Andrew Kitchenham

E-Professional Development
and Rural Teachers: Finding the Blend

Andrew Kitchenham, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the outcomes of a study on teacher supply and demand issues in Northern Canada. Using questionnaires and interviews, participants were asked to comment on professional development models currently used and models to be considered. In particular, comments on the use of blended learning as a viable method of e-professional development model were favourable. In subsequent research to follow up those comments, the researcher provided professional development model exemplars and asked the participants to discuss the advantages and disadvantages for rural teaching professionals. The researcher argues that the chosen blended learning model is superior to others as it is based on adult-learning principles. The results of this study are promising as the majority of participants chose blended learning as their primary choice for professional development. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]

Den här studien tar upp ett ämne som ligger mig varm om hjärtat nämligen att försöka behålla kompetenta lärare i yrket (här även i området norra Kanada) genom att öka graden av utvecklingsmöjligheter genom modern e-teknik. Något som jag känner behövs utvecklas även i Sverige om vi ska kunna behålla och anskaffa nya lärare med digital kompetens.

The issues of recruiting and keeping teachers are particularly pressing, in general, (Guarino, Santibañez, & Daley, 2006), but are particularly important in the North of Canada. Professionals receive very little professional development, in situ, and often attending conferences is cost prohibitive for them. Clearly, one viable answer is technology and electronic professional development. This article will present a preliminary model of e-professional development designed for teachers, administrators, and human resources personnel in four Northern Canada sites, Fort Nelson, BC, Fort Vermilion, Alberta, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and Whitehorse, Yukon.

In total, there were 113 participants from BC, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon representing teachers, administrators, and human resources personnel. There were three data sources used in this mixed-methods study: an online survey, semi-structured interviews, and an emailed survey. The on-line questionnaire using Zoomerang was completed at the outset of the study. The follow-up face-to-face or telephone interview was conducted one month after the respondents completed the survey. (sidan 71)

De använde sig av tidigare studier för att skapa en modell.

The E-Professional Development Model

As one aspect of this study, we developed a blended learning model of e-professional development for rural professionals; in this case, for rural educators. This model is based on sound adult-learning principles and has been used successfully elsewhere (Kitchenham, 2006; 2008).(sidan 73)

När de preparerade modellen så konsulterade de även dessa tidigare utförda studier:

(Cranton 1996; King 2002, 2003; Lawler 2003; Lawler & King 2003; Merriam & Caffarella, 1999; Moran, 2001) as well as blended learning models (Barnum & Paarmann 2002; Bersin 2003; Douglis 2002; Graham, 2006; Rossett, Douglis, & Frazee 2003; Valiathan 2002; Wagner, 2006). (sidan 73)

Jag tycker dom tänkte I helt rätt riktning när de fokuserade på att det skulle vara användbart, användarvänligt och lätt att ta till sig. Tänk om alla tänkte så när de utvecklade mjukvara och portaler för skolor...

Adult learners, especially teachers, have a “preference for the practical” (Apps, 1991, p. 42) so it was crucial that planned a professional development model that stressed skills that could be learned effectively within a brief period of time after the learning had occurred (Cranton, 2006; King, 2002; Lawler, 1991, 2003; Lawler & King, 2000, 2003; Moran, 2001). (sidan 74)

Det var en genomtänkt strategi i mina ögon och de fokuserade på att behålla aktiviteten på ett bra sätt genom upplägget att aktivera dem i alla faser (före-under-efter) alla lika viktiga i mina ögon för att få en lyckad studie.

The learners must be engaged through varied teaching methods that include lecture, small group discussions, and self reflections (Cranton, 2006). As well, to encourage active participation from the participants, they must have input into all stages of the learning process (Lawler, 2003; Lawler & King, 2000). In our proposed model, we included opportunities for active participation before (e.g., pre-assessment), during (e.g., lecture and small group discussions), and after (e.g., emails; discussion groups/blogs; self-reflection) the professional development workshop. Having a genuine feedback loop is critical to adult professional development so that the participants can put forth and receive feedback to and from the facilitator. (sidan 76)

Att hålla uppe motivationen är viktigt var något de var överens om att de skulle prioritera, men jag tycker det alltid är en viktig faktor oavsett åldersgrupp och oavsett inlärningsprincip. Kan man inte hålla uppe motivationen (=lusten att lära) så spelar det ingen roll vilka resurser man har. Hur man presenterar ett innehåll är kärnan i en lyckad inlärningsprocess enligt mig.

Lawler and King (2003) argued that the motivation of adult learners is a necessary part of any professional development model but it was often forgotten as a critical adult-learning principle when designing learning opportunities. When we designed the blended learning professional development scenario, we argued that presenting a topic of interest (i.e., aboriginal learners), asking participants for input on strategies needed, and allowing time to pass between subsequent sessions would both acknowledge and increase motivation in the learning process. (sidan 77)

 

En annan viktig aspekt som de också täckte var behovet av att känna till ”statusen” på vad de som ingick i studien hade i form av kunskaper i området. Detta för att bättre kunna anpassa modellen som skulle användas. Väldigt lätt att glömma men väldigt bra att veta innan man tar sig an att utbilda någon. Att hitta rätt nivå som stimulerar och ökar graden av inlärning är också en nyckel till framgång enligt mig.

In other words, the facilitator must ensure that he or she builds on the learners’ past experiences by assessing their learning levels prior to beginning the professional development work and then utilize that information to create and implement the learning opportunities (Lawler, 2003). As many rural professionals have diverse and rich backgrounds, our proposed e-professional development model included a pre-assessment of what the participants knew about the topic and a recursive assessment of what they knew as the program developed. By embracing redundancy, the model became more robust as the participants perceived that their prior experiences were valued. (sidan 77)

An Adaptive and Context-Aware Scenario Model Based on a Web Service Architecture for Pervasive Learning Systems by Pham-Nguyen, Garlatti, Simon Lau, Barbry and Vantroys

An Adaptive and Context-Aware Scenario Model Based on a Web Service Architecture for Pervasive Learning Systems

Cuong Pham-Nguyen, TELECOM, France

Serge Garlatti, TELECOM, France
B.-Y.-Simon Lau, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Benjamin Barbry, University of Sciences and Technologies of Lille, France
Thomas Vantroys, University of Sciences and Technologies of Lille, France

ABSTRACT

Pervasive learning will become increasingly important in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). In this context, development efforts focus on features such as context-awareness, adaptation, services retrieval and orchestration mechanisms. This paper proposes a process to assist the development of such systems, from conception through to execution. This paper focuses mainly on pervasive TEL systems in a learning situation at the workplace. We introduce a context-aware scenario model of corporate learning and working scenarios in e-retail environments such as shops and hypermarkets. This model enables us to integrate contextual information into scenarios and to select how to perform activities according to the current situation. Our pervasive learning system is based on a service oriented architecture that consists of an infrastructure for service management and execution that is flexible enough to reuse learning components and to deal with context changes that are not known in advance and discovered on the fly.. [Article copies are available for purchase from InfoSci-on-Demand.com]

Vad handlar detta om egentligen? Ja så här uttrycker sig de som skrivit om studien.

The reuse of learning resources and web services requires interoperability at a semantic level. In other words, it is necessary to have a semantic web approach to design TEL systems. Moreover, knowledge models and pedagogical theories can be fully represented by means of a semantic web approach. In the mobile learning area, a number of terms are commonly used; mobile, pervasive and ubiquitous learning systems (Brodersen, Christensen, Gronboek, Dindler, & Sundararajah, 2005; Hundebol & Helms, 2006; Sharples, 2005; Thomas, 2007)....... In this article, we consider that mobile, pervasive and ubiquitous learning systems have the properties of mobile, pervasive and ubiquitous computing systems respectively. We focus our attention on pervasive learning systems. Mobile learning is not just about learning at anytime, at any place and in any form using lightweight devices, but learning in context and across contexts. (sidan 42)

De pratar mycket om ”semantic” och ”pervasive” som är....

Semantics (from Greek sēmantiká, neuter plural of sēmantikós)^[1][2] is the study of meaning. It typically focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata.

One useful definition is that a “pervasive learning environment is a context (or state) for mediating learning in a physical environment enriched with additional site-specific and situation dependent elements – be it plain data, graphics, information -, knowledge -, and learning objects, or, ultimately, audio-visually enhanced virtual layers” (Hundebol & Helms, 2006). One could consider pervasive learning as an extension to mobile learning where the roles of the intelligent environment and of the context are emphasized (Laine & Joy, 2008). In pervasive learning, computers can obtain information about the context of learning from the learning environment where small devices, sensors, pads, badges, large LCD screens, people, and so on, are embedded and communicate mutually. (sidan 42)

Med andra ord så handlar det om ett lärande som sker samtidigt som när man utför uppgifter och vice versa. Det måste dessutom måste systemet vara kopplad till kontexten av inlärningen, det vill säga att mjukvarans arkitektur måste vara utformad för det som man vill uträtta.

The main contribution of this article is an adaptive and context-aware model of scenarios for a pervasive learning system supporting working and learning activities. The pervasive learning system architecture is based on a service oriented architecture to meet pervasive computing requirements. Web services are retrieved and orchestrated, and can be used for different working and learning activities...... The scenario model and the web service retrieval and orchestration are based on a semantic web approach which enables us to represent the explicit common knowledge of the communities of practice involved in the p-LearNet project. The scenario model is based on a hierarchical task model having the task/method paradigm. An activity, represented by a task, may have several associated methods. A method represents a way of performing a task in a particular situation. (sidan 44)

Här följer scheman över de olika typerna de använde sig av I studien.

Figure 2. An overview of pervasive learning system architecture

Figure 3. Middleware architecture

 

I deras slutsatser så framkom följande:

CONCLUSION

We have proposed an adaptive and context-aware model of a scenario based on a hierarchical task model having the task/method paradigm - with methods defining how to achieve a task - for a pervasive learning system supporting working and learning situations. This model enables us to include contextual information in learning scenarios at the design stage and to choose how to achieve activities according to the current situation at runtime. In other words, the relevant methods are selected dynamically according to the current situation for performing activities.

From a scenario perspective, the system can dynamically select and adapt learning components (resources and services) that are not known in advance for achieving an atomic task. Our context model and adaptation process deal with dynamic “context-as-construct” by means of transitory and permanent situation features managed in different ways. A service oriented architecture approach is suitable for pervasive learning systems to deal with such dynamic learning content and environments.

För mig så ligger den här undersökningen på nivå som jag inte är familjär med. Området och de termer de använder och den retorik som gås igenom är obekant för mig. Detta gör det svårt för mig att ta ställning till denna undersökning. Det jag dock känner rent spontant är att genom metodisk genomgång och analys samt en med produkt som är anpassad för ändamålet så kan man nå målet av att lära sig samtidigt som man utför uppgifter tack vare hur uppgifterna och mjukvaran är utformad.

Kort sagt med en välanpassad mjukvara och pedagogik för ändamålet kan man nu ”learning by doing” i hög grad med hjälp av mobil teknik. Något som jag tycker saknas i dagens svenska skola, vi är inte i takt med den moderna tekniken i vår pedagogik.

/Helge Lundgren

Improving Cross-Cultural Awareness and Communication through Mobile Technologies by Botha, Vosloo, Kuner and Van den Berg

Improving Cross-Cultural Awareness and Communication through Mobile Technologies

Adele Botha, Meraka Institute, South Africa

Steve Vosloo, Stanford University, USA
John Kuner, Stanford University, USA
Madelein van den Berg, Meraka Institute, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Increasingly, technology is mediating the way in which the youth around the world communicate, consume content and create meaning. As mobile communication media and the internet become more pervasive, young people from different cultures and communities are afforded more opportunities for collaboration across previously unbridgeable distances. The need for cross-cultural awareness and communication is thus more important than ever. The initiative described in this article, successfully demonstrated the role of mobile phones and the web as mediating technologies in the development of intercultural competencies and communication skills among a group of teenagers scattered across two countries.[Article copies are available for purchase from InfoScion-Demand.com]

Från augusti till december 2007 inbjöds 10st tonåringar mellan 12 och 14år till att dokumentera relevanta aspekter av deras liv och omgivning och publicera detta online. De uppmanades även att diskutera med varandra om de publicerade materialet. De var fem deltagare från USA och fem från Sydafrika med väldigt olika bakgrunder. De hade Smartphones tillgängliga att dokumentera med. Ett av målen med projektet var att se om de mobila historierna kunde reflektera deras perspektiv och leda till att öka deras kulturella medvetenhet gentemot varandra. Initiativet som är beskrivet i artikeln är menat att påvisa att rollen för mobiltelefoner och mediateknik i att öka interkulturella färdigheter och kommunikationsfärdigheter bland en grupp tonåringar mellan två länder.

I deras teori tar de upp att att det är centralt med medial kommunikation med hjälp av bloggar och övriga sociala medier för tonåringar i USA. Samt att det är stor skillnad mot vad fallet är i Sydafrika.

According to a Pew Internet study, 93% of USA teens aged 12-17 use the internet and they are treating it as a venue for social interaction – a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others (Lenhart, Madden, Macgill, & Smith, 2007)...... The national school study Speak Up 2007 revealed that over half (52%) of learners in grades 6-8 and two thirds (67%) of those in grades 9-12 had access to a mobile phone(“Project Tomorrow: “Speak Up” 2007 National Findings”, 2008)..... The same depth of figures does not exist for SA. What is known is that in 2006 the number of all internet users (not just teenagers) was around 10.8% (“Telecommunication/ICT markets and trends in Africa.” 2007). While access to computers is relatively low, 68% of the population had access to a mobile phone in 2006 (Gilwald, 2007).

(sidan 40)

Inget av detta är ju direkt överraskande men det är dock intressant med skillnaden och vad den leder till i studien. Det påpekas också att tonåringar är i stor grad beroende av deras mobiler för att kommunicera och att det även finns stora mängder av seriösa diskussioner som pågår. Detta kan jag hålla med om för att det är ju deras sätt att kommunicera och tonåringar i alla tider har nog ”vädrat” sina tankar om uppväxten och världen som sådan. Enda skillnaden numera är att de kan göra det mer publikt om de så vill och diskutera med de i samma ålder trots egentliga stora avstånd. Den moderna tekniken krymper ju avstånden till obefintliga stort sett och samtidigt så ökas ju forumet till att bli obegränsat stort egentligen.

Changes in access to technology have facilitated new conditions for young people to shoot, cut, and mix multimodal texts, and the emergence of the Internet as “home theatre” for a global audience has enabled youth to communicate across borders and across the street. These new conditions have allowed for an outpouring of youth expression, a channelling of latent youth voice... (Hoechsmann & Sefton-Green, 2006)
(sidan 41)

Jag kan hålla med om att det är viktigt att kommunicera och att utbyta kulturella skillnader men jag ser inte lika drastiskt på det som författarna till texten dock.

In a world where the production and distribution of cultural artefacts is increasing, as is collaboration across different cultures, it is not surprising that Samovar, Porter and McDaniel (2006) argue that “successful intercultural communication is a matter of highest importance if humankind and society are to survive.” (sidan 42)

Deras nyckel faktor i metoden tycker jag är ett bra mått på förståelse av kulturella skillnader med hjälp av att kommunicera genom medier. Genom att förstå sig på andras problem kan man lära sig mycket om kulturella skillnader. De använde sig av en blogg portal som heter Vox och skapade grupper där. De gick även igenom ”mobiletikett” innan de blev ombedda att dokumentera deras liv. Samt att tänka på kulturella aspekter när de interagerade.

In the context of the Stanford/Örebro project, we undertook to explore the development of intercultural competencies and communication skills of geographically disparate teenagers using mobile phones and the web as mediating technologies. One of the key measures of intercultural competence– and one used in the Stanford/Örebro project – is “sensitivity to and consideration for others (Lovitt & Goswami,1999)”

In Vox (http://www.vox.com), a free hosted blogging service, a private group was created for the project, which acted as the online nexus for all of the blogging activity. Each participant created his or her own blog account to post their stories, links and images. While all participants were invited as members into the single, private group for the project, their own blogs could be publicly accessed.

We asked them to think about their own culture as a context for the project. They were asked to “frame” their lives, communities and issues within their particular cultural milieu. Mobiquette -acceptable mobile etiquette when using camera phones – was also discussed beforehand with the participants.

(sidan 44)

När man får ta del av vad de delade med sig I form av SMS och videoinspelningar via mobiltelefonen så framkommer de tydliga skillnaderna i de två olika kulturerna. Jag tycker att det tydligt visar på hur enkelt de kan vara att utbyta de kulturella skillnaderna och få en större insikt utan någon större kostnad egentligen tack vare den moderna mediatekniken som finns.

While the American teenagers were more into hip hop and graffiti – reflecting their urban environment – the South Africans enjoyed a variety of activities including heavy metal, fantasy books, barbecuing (or braaing) and hunting. (sidan 48)


I deras utvärderingar så framkom det att de hade skett förståelse för varandras kulturer med en annan sak tycker jag är viktigare att notera och något som jag tror gäller världen över. Likheterna hur tonåringar lever är stora oavsett i vilken del av världen de bor om ekonomin tillåter liknande resurser. De flesta ungdomar tycker om att spela dataspel som Playstation och att chatta med sina kompisar och surfa på internet och lyssna på musik.

EVALUATION

Did the participants develop their intercultural competencies through the project? We believe they did. During the focus group discussions after the project had officially ended, the participants in both groups reported that they had learned a great deal about each others’ lives and also about their own. While differences between the groups were noted and discussed it was really the high level of similarities that was obvious to everyone. Jonathan said: “I learned how our cultures [USA and SA] contrast, and also how they’re similar.(sidan 48)


Även de faktum att de är inkluderande i sitt sätt att umgås med andra och vill ge dem chansen att hänga med I vad de menar tyder på att ungdomarna i studien var öppna för att lära och lära ut av varandra i hög grad.

“The world is actually very small; I suppose we could all have been friends in another time or place. You know they are just like us.” These comments convey a definite sensitivity towards and understanding of others on a cultural level, a measure of intercultural competence. Furthermore, the South Africans were mindful to explain local slang and the meaning of Afrikaans words when these were used, again reflecting an inclusive approach. (sidan 48)

De stötte även på problem som jag tror att de sluppit om det vore idag bara några år senare eftersom mobil tekniken utvecklats snabbt och dessutom blivit mycket billigare.


Due to budget constraints, the San Francisco teenagers could not upload content directly from their phones to the website. This was a pity as the immediacy of mobile phone communication proved to be one of its greatest features with the Pretoria group. A photo of graffiti, taken while walking home from school and uploaded immediately can be considered to be highly contextualised and relevant, appealing to youth expectations of instant gratification. (sidan 49)

Att arbeta med Smartphones tror jag är ett lyckat koncept för det gynnar precis det här med ungdomars önskan om direkt respons och snabb uppmuntran på ett bra sätt. Även det faktum att de alltid finns till hands gör att de fungerar ypperligt när man ska fånga direkta ögonblick som kan uppstå.

The mobile phones, whether used only as camera phones or as both camera and communications devices (including immediately blogging and uploading media), proved to be very suitable devices for the creation and sharing of digital cultural artefacts. Because mobile phones are so pervasive, and have become such an everyday device, they are always on hand. This makes them very well suited to “capture the moment”, which is often when cultural nuances are revealed. (sidan 49)

I deras slutsats ansåg de studien som lyckad och tyckte att det påvisades som utvärderades, bra visade på nyttan med att använda sig av Smartphones och webben för att utbyta kulturella skillnader och skapa ett överbryggande utbyte. Det gav bra möjligheter för att skapa bra relationer och i att dokumentera deras dagliga liv och ge en delad förståelse. Jag kan bara hålla med om att jag tycker modern mobilteknik som finns tillgänglig genom Smartphones och som är än mer utvecklad idag är ett ypperligt hjälpmedel som kan ha stor påverkan på ungdomars sätt att studera och deras inlärning.

As with the Stanford/Örebro project, we regard “the use of technologically-mediated collaboration to be an influential tool with regard to social relationships and improved cross-cultural understanding (O’Brien et al., 2007). (sidan 50)

Jag tror att den moderna tekniken är nästa steg att ta i form av att utveckla metoder för inlärning som möter ungdomar där de är i sin utveckling. Dagens ungdomar kommunicerar på ett helt annat sätt än innan och det krävs vidare forskning för att utveckla detta mera och det är nu.

More research is needed in this area. Technology is rapidly changing and influencing youth participation in cultural production and negotiation on a global level. “Our need to understand the relation between digital media and learning is urgent because of the scale and the speed of the changes that are afoot (Ito, Davidson, Jenkins, Lee, Eisenberg, & Weiss, 2007).” The role that mobile communication media

can play in the development of crosscultural awareness needs to be explored in formal educational and informal learning spaces. At the very least, we have shown that mobile phones have a place in the creation of meaningful user-generated content for improved cross-cultural awareness and communication

(sidan 50)

/Helge Lundgren

Designing Participant-Generated Context into Guided Tours by Juliet Sprake

Designing Participant-Generated Context into Guided Tours

Juliet Sprake, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

Abstract

This article presents an interdisciplinary framework for designing participant-generated context into guided tours. The framework has been developed in parallel to practice-led research in the design of mobile learning tours with young people based in London. The article draws on art, architecture and urbanism to outline productive concepts, ‘seeding’ and ‘threading’, which support mobilised learning in tours of the built environment. In this, context is explored as an active and dynamic idea in developing attributes of the

mobilised learner in the design of tours around buildings and the built environment. 150 words or less.

 

I den här artikeln vill Juliet Sprake beskriva teoretiska idéer som bidrar till ett interdisciplinärt perspektiv på mobilt lärande i guidade turer. Artikeln är indelad i tre sektorer.

Den första “learning-enabled buildings” försöker förstå den skapade miljön i designen av aktiviteter i mobilt lärande i rundturer. Den försöker också definiera om lägen, situationer och kontext som är relevanta att utveckla i detta koncept.

Den andra sektorn fokuserar på saker ur sitt sammanhang omskrivning/omformulering som en kreativ process i lärande. För att utforska om mobilt lärande involverar att man använder attribut som notera, snubbla på och koppla samman sammanhang.

Den tredje drar slutsatser om artikeln med ett ramverk för att mobilisera lärande genom turer som är strukturerade med nyckelkoncept av vad som berikar deltagare av guidade turer att koppla sammanhang.

Hon tar upp att utvecklingen av mobilt lärande har gått framåt de sista åren men att definitionen av pedagogiken är grumlig precis som Winters (2007) påpekar. Jag håller med om att mobilt lärande fortfarande känns så pass nytt och outforskat att de är svårt att säga exakt vad det innebär. Hon tar dock fram exempel på där man använt sig av tekniken. ”For example, Riot1831, a project produced by Mobile Bristol in April - May 2004 experimented with ways in which the movement and location of participants in Queen’s Square, Bristol connected with fragments of an audio performance of the riot that took place there in 1831:” (sidan 21)

Det gick till så här I praktiken, “It’s 1831. Bristol is a tinderbox and the spark is Sir Charles Wetherell, the city’s visiting magistrate, widely loathed for portraying the city as anti-Reform. The people are rising up and thousands have filled Queen’s square to vent their fury and demand the Vote. […] In your backpack there is a receiver which ‘knows’ the location of the GPS satellites circling the globe. The receiver transmits your position to an iPAQ computer, triggering a sound file which plays through your headset. When you move on, you will receive another file.” (sidan 21)

Personligen tycker jag att projekt som denna är lysande exempel på hur man kan göra historieberättande mer levande. Man blir mer personligt engagerad och jag tror att man får andra infallsvinklar och en helt annan närvarokänsla. Istället för att få informationen ”matad” till en så utforskar man själv. På så vis tror jag att man tar till sig informationen djupare och lär sig mer.

I sin grundliga genomgång av olika teorier av informellt lärande genom att ta saker ur sitt sammanhang så fastnar jag bara för detta resonemang:

Edensor’s website represents a way in which finds may be publicly shared and personal interpretations made. It would be interesting to find out what would happen if such a web-based platform were used in location. The idea that an archive may be both a personal collection and one for archiving finds shared with others over time and in different locations, provides a way of considering how mobile devices can be utilised as archaeological tools. (Sprake and Thomas, 2007) The concept of out-of-context enables opportunities for recontextualisation in learning through buildings and that this may be more effective if considered over time and in different locations. It is now important to consider how this may be achieved through the design of learning activities in tours.

(sidan 32)

Det övriga känns alltför invecklat och ligger på en nivå som egentligen inte innefattar mobilt lärande utan mer handlar om filosofi och struktur.

Sedan så går hon vidare med begreppen ”seeding” och ”threading” :

‘Seeding’ is a conceptual process for designing and locating fragments of content or subject matter in tours and ‘threading’ is about creating opportunities for learning by connecting and evolving that content during the tour. Both concepts work on the central notion that the tour is produced through participation.

(sidan 32)

Så här menar hon att det kan fungera I praktiken:

Seeding content for a tour can be described as a process for learning if participants are involved in creating content that can be ‘grown’ or evolved by others. Learning how to create content that is location-specific and requires participant interaction with that location to make it work should be a key element of a project or brief for designing learning activities in tours.

(sidan 33)

Learning through making new lines of enquiry from a series of interactions with objects, people and places describes the process of threading in touring. Threading involves making connections between small scale movements and larger scale overviews

using guides and touring technologies to facilitate creative evolvement of those connections.

(sidan 33)

Jag gillar tanken över att man tar en guidad tur där man själv interagerar och bidrar med innehållet. Istället för att bli matad med information tvingas man ta ställning till materialet och utveckla sina tankar. En form av aktiv inlärning som dessutom är mobil och inte statisk där man sitter ned i något klassrum. Sprake uttrycker det så här:

The notion of distance travelled, physically and cognitively, between making such associations can be explored in developing how ‘context’ and ‘out of context’ may be reconfigured in learning through being mobile. (sidan 34)

I hennes slutsatser så tycker hon att man ska fokusera mindre på den tekniska aspekten av mobilt lärande och mer på innehållet och hur de associerar till det vi ska lära ut. Jag håller med om detta samt att aktivt medverkande stimulerar kritiskt tänkande och är en positiv form av inlärning som skiljer sig från den normala ”korvstoppar” formen som de flesta traditionella rundturer erbjuder idag.

I would suggest that a notion of location-sensitivity in mobile learning may focus less on technologies that assist in marking positions of participants on a tour, and more on consideration of the ways in which they shape subjective associations with buildings.

The experiential physicality of motion, momentum and position throws up productive opportunities for exploring technologies that enable tours to be initiated and evolved through active participation in creative processes of subjective recontextualisation.

(sidan 36)

/Helge Lundgren

Choreo:pod: Dance and the iPod Towards Blended Learning av Wilson, Andrews and Dale

Choreo:pod:

Dance and the iPod Towards Blended Learning

Dennie Wilson, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Ben Andrews, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Crispin Dale, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Abstract

The iPod is a pervasive technology that has had an influential impact upon engagement with sound and visual media. The extent to which the iPod can act as a learning and teaching technology is still at an embryonic stage. The paper reports upon the research project entitled Choreo:pod which has explored the student creation of dance performance for the iPod screen, in addition to its use as a wider learning and teaching technology. The paper discusses the process students engaged in when reflecting upon their experiences of engaging with the iPod as part of a blended learning approach.

Intressant att ta del av mobilt lärande via en iPod. Det känns nytt och fräscht och inte något som jag sett annat än som en portabel musikspelare innan.

Jag tycker att de har rätt i att den nya tekniken kan demokratisera lärandet genom att studenterna själva kan vara med och interagera och skapa innehåll i större utsträckning och att detta skapar nya krav på sättet vi lär ut. I det här projektet handlar det om dans som ska utvecklas och presenteras på en liten iPod skärm.

This challenges traditional assessment norms in Higher Education Institutions in the UK, by drawing on and developing the student’s visual and digital literacies, such as the stages of video making and collaborative and personal blogging. Students also develop their skills in choreography for the camera, performance making, filming and editing techniques, visual design; and they studied the work of past and current practitioners in the field.(sidan 50)

De tittade på tidigare studier med iPod från USA och Storbritannien och såg att det funnits fördelar med den. Däremot så tycker jag de har en bra poäng de de inser dess begränsning och att den inte kan ersätta utan snarare komplettera undervisningen.

However, they also noted how the iPod was not a replacement for lectures and should only be used as part of a blended learning approach. (sidan 51)

De pekar på att se på teater eller dans på en iPod är en enskild upplevelse och drar tittaren inåt mot skärmen till skillnad mot en större skärm där bilder projekteras utåt. Det blir mer intensivt komplett och tillfredsställande i deras mening. För att utvärdera detta tittade en grupp på två korta danser som var anpassade för iPods. Sedan tittade de även på de två samma på en Tv-skärm för att utvärdera skillnaden i upplevelsen.

De det upplevde som intressant var att en var mer positivt upplevd på iPod och den andra på Tv:n. Här är det intressant men inte överraskande alls tycker jag att upptäcka att det krävs en annan sorts filmteknik för att göra det mer iPod anpassat och mer intressant att följa på den.

The piece that viewed less well on the iPod left the group feeling that whilst the narrative and rhythm of editing were positive features, a lack of dance material, material that was largely pedestrian, the colour palette, and over powering sound were features that were less strong. There was agreement that some of the close up work was particularly good, and what seemed key to this success was the use of depth within a close up shot and that the camera angle of a close up shot was less conventional.

The piece received more positively on the iPod was seen as such because the group felt the personal space of the iPod suited the film better. The camera followed the dancers using floor based and less conventional camera angles. This combination of camera techniques gave the film an edge and the students said it seemed important to keep watching.(sidan 52)

In summary, how the camera was used or moved, angles that were less conventional, depth within the use of close up, narrative, and specific type of dance content, resulted in a film that had impact and generated a viewing experience that was more satisfying. If the rhythm of editing or speed of camera work was too fast, the colour palette of too much contrast, and the dance content too pedestrian, the viewer felt pushed away from the screen and therefore less inclined to continue watching. (sidan 52)

Med andra ord så funkar inte den snabba klippningen a lá MTV på en sådan liten skärm utan då tappar tittaren fokus och känner att den stöts iväg. Intressant att notera är också att de tog lärdom av kända regissörer och deras sätt att hålla det kort och intressant för att skapa det för att kunna titta på det var som helst-när som helst.

In addition, it was quite strongly stated that it was key to consider the length that a video might be, and that the place or space in which viewing is likely to take place would be anywhere at any time. The group applied these findings to the reworking of dance for screen works made earlier in the ‘Dance Video Technology’ module and prior to the research stage. Taking the style of a chosen director (in this case Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Sally Potter, Ang Lee or Jim Jarmush) as stimulus, original videos were approximately three to four minutes in length and made for a standard size television screen. (sidan 52)

Efter detta så började alla grupper att redigera om sina filmer och för vissa handlade det även om att filma om sekvenser där de sänkte takten för att anpassa till formatet.

One group re-filmed the speed at which dance material was performed. They did this because whilst the dance content needed to be slower in order for it to register with the viewer on the smaller screen, it was important that the material retain it’s original performance qualities.

A second group re-filmed with the intention of altering the length of a particular section of their film. On first viewing the re-filmed and edited version, they believed they had successfully shortened this section of the film. However, on further inspection, it became clear that it was the rhythm of the editing that created the impression of a shorter section, when in fact it was the same length as in the original piece

A Third group produced a shorter iPod film. They had initially been concerned that the dance content in the longer film looked overly improvised and under developed. When they transferred the same dance content to the iPod, having edited other sections of the film, this was no longer the case. In addition, the music they selected for the original film worked better with the shorter film. Thus they felt they had produced a more succinct and successful film in their iPod work.(Sidan 52)

En grupp utvecklade följande analys av sina erfarenheter.

This group, before beginning any reworking of their original film, viewed their film on an iPod. Everyone in the group actually preferred the film on the iPod, rather than a larger screen, even at the original length. They discussed what they felt contributed to this preference and arrived at the following analysis:

• The original piece was neither busy nor extravagant in content, location, or editing.

• Many of the shots were filmed as closeups.

• The location was such that it provided depth to these close-up shots.

• The intimate nature of the narrative lent itself much more to the close and personal viewing that is possible on an iPod.

The group did go on to shorten the original film, but felt that as a result it became a less interesting film. Thus a key point that arose from viewing the original work on an iPod first was that the perception of a film appearing shorter was more significant than the film actually being being shorter: the rhythm of editing coupled with the movement of the camera within a shot to sustain viewer attention were more significant factors than film length. (sidan 52-53)

Det jag tycker är mest intressant att notera är hur de fick tänka om för att anpassa till formatet och att det var möjligt. Att dessutom hur man klipper och skapar rytmen kan orsaka en känsla av att filmen är kortare trots att den inte är det tidsmässigt tycker jag också är värt att notera. Val av musik verkar också vara en faktor.

För att utveckla detta vidare så använde de sig av skolans befintliga portfolio system som heter PebblePad. Något som växte fram snabbt och blev väldigt populärt att använda samt tillslut krävde att de anställde en koordinator som mentor till nybörjare till teknologin. Detta tycker jag visar på en framåtanda och klarsynthet samt en förmåga att ta snabba beslut av skolledningen. Något som jag ofta saknar i den lite ”mjäkiga” och försiktiga Svenska skolans värld.

PebblePad is a web based tool that “…allows users to build a diverse collection of items related to their studies, personal development, continuing professional development or any event of personal significance.” (Sutherland, 2004). This blended module ‘came of age’ in the context of three developments: the exponential growth of Web 2.0 technologies and the corresponding student digital literacies and competencies; the rapid rise in popularity within the institution of the electronic portfolio system, PebblePad; and the partial recognition by the institution that it needed to employ an e-learning coordinator as mentor to early adopters of technology. The following paragraphs will seek to ‘tell the story’ of the module’s development and then conclude with some more general points. (sidan 53)

Den utvecklingen som skedde inom PebblePad ledde till att studenterna fick ett forum att både visa upp sina alster och diskutera och utvärdera dem samt även diskutera kring utbildningen i sig. Detta upplevdes som väldigt lyckat och berikande: The power of the tools now available enable social and interactive learning on a scale unprecedented before and what is clear is that the students are naturally making use of these forms of learning almost by a process of osmosis– in part because the technologies enable them to do so. (Conole et al. 2006: 88) (sidan 56)

Här är ett exempel på vad en student reflekterade över:

Subject : Re: Student Page:

Posted by: XXXX on 28 February 2006 11:08

After meeting with my group to discuss ideas for our dance film it all seems quite exciting. Before I began this module whenever I watched a film I never really considered what camera angles were been used or what special effects are present in the film. However, now whenever I watch anything I find myself focusing more on the camera angles than anything else. I never realised how much a camera angle can influence how something is seen. Another thing I find interesting is by doing a dance film we are totally controlling what the viewer sees. As dancers we don’t normally have this control when we perform on stage!

(sidan 57)

I deras slutsatser så ser man hur de lyfter fram att lärandet är mindre hierarkiskt och istället en mer dynamiskt och med en mer blandad form av inlärning som gagnar både studenter och pedagoger. Även hur formen på PebblePad har lett till en mer engagerat och informellt sätt att lära sig och utveckla sina teorier. Här är ett bra exempel på vad de menar:

Subject: Re: Re: Student Page : Podcast

Posted by: XXXX on 09 March 2006 11:29

I agree with XXXX, i downloaded the podcast onto my iPod and it is really useful to listen back to the lecture and clarify everyone’s ideas and opinions that if you didn’t write down would maybe forget. I think it is a new way of using to take notes instead of a dictaphone, will be useful for us when making our films and writing our blogs. Here’s to many more!!

(sidan 58)

Det som är riktigt intressant att ta del av är att de ser att även andra former av teknologier som Smartphones kan användas I den här formen av lärande. Detta känns väldigt relevant då jag har en känsla av att vi bara är i början av utvecklingen av Smartphones och att snart så kommer alla mobiltelefoner vara sådana. Det betyder alltså att skolan inte behöver investera i sådan teknik då eleverna och pedagogerna redan kommer att äga varsin egen.

Deras slutkläm är en bra insikt över vad som behöver utvecklas mera, dock så tycker jag att man inte behöver ”snöa in sig på” att behöva använda Appleprodukter som Ipod, Ipad eller Iphone. Utvecklingen av Smartphones, Android och Windows mobile inkluderat har lett till att jag tycker att de fungerar lika väl för ändamålet och är dessutom billigare att införskaffa.

Within the context of this research, future projects will further investigate; dance and the interface for performance embracing web and wireless technologies, live and virtual spaces, and the use of podcasting as an assessment method and the extent to which this can develop deeper learning experiences. The research will also further explore the relationship between dance performance and the principles of making short films for the small screen.

(sidan 59)

/Helge Lundgren